Because I am a Girl
by IcePrincess-O-O
Summary: Uzumaki Naruto is the loud, hyper, and number one trouble maker ninja in Konoha. But what if there's another secret about him that no one knew? What if...he was Uzumaki Naruko, a girl. NarukoSasuke NarukoNeji
1. The Troubles of Him or Her

A/N: I know, I know….I should really update my other fics before starting a new one. But, hear me out. Light of Redemption is a drama, Broken Fate is angsty, and since writing is like expressing a part of yourself, I figured I would start a lighter fluffier piece. I mean, more often than not I am happy and funny, so I can't be dark and moody all the time. And since my inspiration is _finally_ working again, I want to make the best of it. But I am definitely not giving up on my other stories. Please check my author's bio page for the progress of all my stories.

Ok, now about this story. I'm not planning on making it a full-blast-rolling-on-the-floor-laughing-your-ass-off story. There will be plot, character development, drama and all that other stuff. But there will be a lighter approach to it. Although, there will still be some occasional darker moments as well. I know this story idea has been done before by many other people. But I like it, and everyone has his or her own approach, so give this a chance.

Now that my babbling is over, on with the story.

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto. Any original characters or plot are strictly from my own imagination.

* * *

**Because I am a Girl**

* * *

Chapter One – The Troubles of Him or Her

The Sandaime could feel a headache coming from a mile away. Somehow, in all of his years of wisdom and experience, he has not foreseen this.

Five years ago, a formidable demon called the Kyuubi attacked the village of the Hidden Leaf. Many men and women were slaughtered in the days of battle. Finally, in the sacrifice of his own life, the Yondaime, developed a forbidden jutsu that sealed the Kyuubi in the body of a newborn baby. Peace was restored once again, and while it was difficult, Konoha was rebuilt. The Sandaime also came out of his retirement to help his village move on from this tragedy.

Yet life did not simply move on. The people of Konoha were angry. People simply do not move on when so many of their family and comrades were killed without reason. Especially when the Kyuubi was not truly dead.

When the Yondaime first developed his jutsu, his goal was to destroy the Kyuubi completely. However, he soon recognized the error of this method. The Kyuubi, in many sense of the word, is immortal. Therefore, even in the exchange of his own life, the Kyuubi cannot be sealed to die. The equation simply does not balance out. Even the death god does not have the power to kill something that cannot be killed. The only thing he could do is to seal the demon away from doing more harm, and allow him to die of natural causes along with the body of his host.

However, the host cannot be just anyone. The Kyuubi is a formidable being, in both power and persuasion. A being such as this cannot be contained within a formed mind without the danger of it breaking free or driving the host insane. The Kyuubi must be sealed within the body of a newborn child. So that as the child grows and develops, the seal will only grow stronger with time as well.

At this point, the Yondaime knew of only one person with whom he could trust this formidable task. A baby whose mother had returned to the battle lines soon after its birth, only to die hours later, from injuries and fatigue. A baby destined for a life of hardship and heartache, for it would soon lose its father as well. This baby was Uzumaki Naruko, the daughter of the fourth hokage.

The Yondaime had hoped that his child will be seen as a hero among his people, and that she will be loved and supported as she grew up without a family. Yet this was not the case. The people of Konoha saw only the demon that is seal within the girl, and in turn, only held resentment toward the Fourth only heir.

The Sandaime sighed. So far, he has taken care of the girl, sheltering her from the hardships of her life. But soon, she will have to live alone once more, within the hatred of the people. Only few of the Konoha's elite knew of this girl's true identity, the rest only knew that the demon was sealed within a baby, and that the baby currently resides within the Sandaime's care.

It has been five years since the days of the Kyuubi. Naruko is now five. She lives as any other girl, albeit lonelier. She knows that she is different; she could feel it in others' gazes, even her own personal caretakers. None of them ever said anything, but she knew. Yesterday was the first time she was attacked though. A small group of rouge villagers has bought their way in through the Sandaime's cook, and sneaked their way into the estate by the backdoor in the kitchen. From there, they proceeded directly toward Naruko's room. They beat her, yelled at her and spat on her, but to them this was still not enough. They needed to humiliate this little girl and let her feel the suffering that they felt; because to them, she was the Kyuubi. They tore at her clothes, despite the tears and screams of the five years old girl. Their anger driving them insane. They decided then that they would rape her. And they almost did. It was at this point that the Sandaime arrived with his elite guards. Within minutes, the men were defeated. But this event left a forever-prominent scar.

The Sandaime knew he could not keep Naruko with him forever, that sooner or later she would have to live on her own. Yet a girl, especially a hated girl, has little chance of surviving in the harsh world outside. The villagers knew of the child that held the Kyuubi, but they did not know that the child was a girl. And they would not know, until she has learned enough to protect herself from the dangers that face her.

It was then that the Sandaime made his decision. He would place a henge on Naruko, making her appearance male. Then he will seal the henge so that it feeds of his own chakra instead of the child's. This way, only he can release it when the time comes. After explaining this to a traumatized Naruko, she agreed. Even at this young age, she knew of the dangers and the terrors that face her. And it terrified her.

From that day on, Uzumaki Naruko, the daughter of Yondaime, became Uzumaki Naruto, the son of Yondaime.

_Seven Year Later_

Uchiha Sasuke watched in barely concealed shock as Naruto and Gaara fought.

_This was Naruto?! What else is he hiding?_

He was snapped out of his thoughts, however, when he saw both boys crash to the ground, many feet below, neither of whom moving. His concern for his teammate overpowered his initial shock, and he leaped down to check on the blond.

"Nauto! Are you alright?"

A muffled moan from the boy confirmed that he was indeed still alive. After a quick glance toward Gaara, making sure that he was still out, Sasuke moved to gently turn the blond so that he lay on his back. A quick glance showed many cuts and bruises; yet the true extent of his injury was unknown to the Uchiha.

Suddenly, Naruto gasped as his eyes shot open. Tremors attacked his petite body as he bit his lip to keep in any sounds of pain.

"Naruto! What's wrong? Come on, talk to me!"

His wide blue eyes slowly focused on Sasuke's dark ones, as he managed to whisper, "Something's wrong with the Hokage."

"What?" Sasuke said, confused. They were miles away from the Hokage. Did Naruto hit his head too hard? "The Hokage isn't here Naruto. I'm sure he's fine."

"_No! _Sasuke, you don't understand. There's something wrong with Sandaime! I think —" The rest of his sentence were left unsaid as a scream tore through his throat. Naruto's shakes got stronger.

Feeling helpless, Sasuke could only move to hold Naruto closer to himself, hoping to physically stop his shaking. All of a sudden, the shaking stopped, and no more sounds came from the small blond. Sasuke kept holding the blond, afraid to move, afraid that once he left go he'll find Naruto dead, like everyone else in his life.

As he gently rocked the blond back and forth, Sasuke noticed in the back of his mind that something was not quite right. Somehow, Naruto's hair was getting…_longer_. Not only that, it feels as if the blond was shrinking. Not shrinking as in he's going to become a mini Naruto, but his frame was becoming slimmer, more delicate. Somehow, Naruto felt like a completely different person.

A few moments after Sasuke felt the changes take place, he heard a small voice whisper into his neck. "Sasuke?"

It took Sasuke a few more moments to realize that this definitely was _not_ Naruto's voice. The voice that he heard was soft and melodic, though sounding a bit weak and tired. But it was definitely _female_. Somehow, Naruto sounds and feels like a girl. Surely there is a logical explanation for this.

"Sasuke, let me go. I can't breathe."

There's that voice again.

Slowing, Sasuke pulled away from the body he held in his arms, almost afraid to look down. Taking a deep breath, he inwardly scowled at himself. _I am an Uchiha, I am definitely not afraid to look at Naruto. _Finally glancing down, his eyes met familiar bright blue ones. Sasuke exhaled. Of course this was still Naruto, what was he thinking. A second glance, however, made him take that thought back. The girl in his arms has long blonde hair down to her lower back. Her blue eyes held a questioning look. Soft pink lips slightly pouting as she took in Sasuke's stare, "What are you looking at, Sasuke-teme?"

The face was a girl's face. A very, very gorgeous girl's face. Sasuke looked lower.

Yup, definitely a girl's body.

He is now holding a gorgeous blond girl in his arms, who holds a strange resemblance to Naruto.

"Sasuke, you bastard! My face is up here!"

It was at this point that Sasuke's expressionless resolve cracked. His eyes went wide as he choked out, "N…n…naruto?!?"


	2. Can You Handle This?

A/N: Once again I'm sorry about the late update. As of this point, I don't have a story-updating schedule at all. Almost half way through the semester, and my classes are killing me. I'm taking 6 hardcore courses; and the only non-compulsory one is physics. XX. My marks for last semester were pathetic, and I really need to step up my game. I also just started a new job, so I'll have even less spare time now. But this is not to say that I am giving up on my stories. Writing is one of the few things that can actually take me out of my slump. I'm just saying that I might not be updating as frequently. Thanks for all of your support!

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto. All original plot and characters are from my own imagination.

* * *

**Because I am a Girl**

* * *

Chapter Two - Can You Handle This?

* * *

"_Sasuke, you bastard! My face is up here!"_

_It was at this point that Sasuke's expressionless resolve cracked. His eyes went wide as he choked out, "N…n…naruto?"

* * *

_

Blue eyes looked back with slight confusion. "Yes…last time I checked."

"You….you are a girl!"

Naruto sighed. She was really too exhausted to deal with a shell-shocked Sasuke right now. "Yes, Sasuke."

"But you are a _girl._"

Irritation finally overpowered the short-tempered blond. Added to the fact that she had just fought a raging mad sand demon, Naruto really wasn't in much of an explaining mood. "Damnit Sasuke. Say something I don't already know."

The biting remark from his rival seemed to finally break Sasuke from his stupor. Girl or not, Naruto…or whatever her name was, will not get the better of Uchiha Sasuke. "Shut up, Dobe."

"Glad to. Wake me up when we get back to Konoha."

With that finally remark, Naruto finally let her exhaustion take over, and slipped into unconsciousness.

Sasuke blinked. He looked down at the sleeping blond still lying in his arms….and blinked again. A deep scowl slowly formed on his face.

"Naruto….wake up. Naruto!"

Naruto, however, seemed to have no intention of waking up anytime soon. Instead, she subconsciously snuggled deeper into her source of warmth.

Sasuke fought to fight down a blush.

_Damnit, I wasn't done with my questions._

Looking at the surprisingly serene face, Sasuke could not tame his curiosity.

If this is Naruto, then that would mean the he is girl. But this makes no sense. I've known him since the academy days; he's always been a boy. He didn't know any henge techniques back then. But if he is a boy…then how in the world would he be a girl right now?

Sasuke fought to contain his questions, pushing it into the back of his mind. It wouldn't do himself any good right now, since the only source of answers is unconscious at the moment. And even a chakra monster like Naruto would not be able to recover this quickly from the level of chakra defiency that she is suffering from.

First things first. Sasuke needs to get Naruto back to Konoha, where she can receive proper treatment. Other than chakra deficiency, he really couldn't tell if she has any other injuries. And her screams of pain earlier were definitely not an indication of health.

Pausing in his thoughts, Sasuke looked past a few broken trees where Gaara lay. He was still unconscious, and may be so for a while. But Sasuke could not take any chances in leaving Gaara on his own.

Torn between his duty as a shinobi and his compassion toward his comrade, Sasuke has never been so relieved to hear the lazy greeting of his sensei.

"Yo."

Slightest trace of a smile grazed his lips, "About time you showed up, Kakashi."

"Ah, I got lost on the ro--" Kakashi's eyes widened uncharacteristically as he finally took in the sight of his students. "Is that Naruto?"

"Apparently." Sasuke answered, slightly apprehensive. "Did you know this?"

"Did I know what?"

Eyes narrowing in irritation, Sasuke elaborated, "This. Naruto…girl…thing."

"Yes."

A wave of anger rushed to the surface, "And you never thought to tell me! I thought we were a team, Kakashi-sensei! How can you keep something like this away from me?"

"It wasn't my place to tell, Sasuke."

At the sound of his teacher's calming voice, Sasuke's anger deflated as quickly as it came. But he still had one more question. "He is a girl right? I mean, like a girl pretending to be a guy?"

"Yes."

"Oh, I see." Looking down at the sleeping bundle, Sasuke felt a rush of protectiveness. "What's her name? Can you tell me that much."

Sighing silently, Kakash resigned. He stepped forward and knelt down beside the sitting Uchiha. "Her name is Uzumaki Naruko. Only some of the Konoha's elite knew this. She has been pretending to be a boy for the last seven years. The third personally placed the henge seal on her."

"The third…." Sasuke thought back. "She said something about the third just a while ago. She was in a lot of pain, and I thought she was babbling at the time. Is the third alright?"

"Sasuke…" Kakashi paused, collecting his words. "The Sandaime died fighting the enemy not more than half an hour ago."

Sasuke's eyes widened. "Died?" Then it all clicked. "That's why…she's a girl again? Because the Sandaime is the one who placed the seal, and now that he's gone, the seal is broken." At Kakashi's nod, Sasuke continued, "But why? Why did she have to live as a boy?"

Kakashi tensed at the question. A foreign looked entered the one visible eye. "There are evils in this world that are both incomprehensible and inhumane. You know that Naruko does not have a family." Sasuke nodded affirmatively. "You know that she is hated by many in this village."

Sasuke nodded again, though he did not know why. Naruko may have been loud and annoying, but she has never done anything to purposely harm anything in the village. When he was younger, in the early days of the academy, he remembered asking his father about it. Why was this little blond boy always alone and scorned? His father just got this look in his eyes, the same look in Kakashi's right now, and told him that some things are better left unsaid. Then his father told him to forget his questions and practice his kunai. And when Itachi murdered his family, his questions about Naruko were pushed into the background.

Kakashi continued, "Sometimes, hate makes men do disgusting things. Especially if the hate is toward a little girl."

A hint of confusion passed his eyes, and then comprehension. Catching the words that Kakashi left unsaid, Sasuke felt his grip tighten around the blond. A barely contained fury raged in his mind. Is this what Naruko had to go through growing up? Is that what she hides behind a cheesy smile and a fake body? What other demons is she hiding?

"Maa, you guys sure are slow."

Kakashi's voice broke Sasuke out of his reverie. He looked up to see three anbu drop done around him from the shadows of the forest. One with a monkey mask nodded toward Kakashi and moved to pick up the unconscious Gaara. With no words spoken, the anbu were gone again in the blink of an eye.

Standing up, Kakashi walkd toward a group of trees to the left. "The enemy has retreated. They are heading back to the village. I think we should do the same." He returned mere moments later with Sakura in his arms. "Doesn't look like she's gonna let you go any time soon. So I guess you'll have to carry her back."

Sasuke could almost make out the smile behind Kakashi's mask. Slowly, he stood up, carefully adjusting the girl in his arms into a more comfortable position. Funny that he never noticed how small she really was.

"Let's go."

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A/N2: Shorter than I intended. I was going to put in another part about Naruko's interaction with the other genin. But I decided to put it into chapter three instead. I'm going to try to get that up within the next few days. I know there isn't a lot of action in this chapter, but I hope you still liked it. Review and tell me what you think! 


	3. The Sun goes up and the Sun goes down

A/N: Hi everyone. I'm sure you are probably sick of me saying it, but I'm really sorry about this late update. I really did try to get this out earlier, but my life has been shit lately. Everything has been a bit off, and I haven't really been in the mood to write. But I decided to sit down today, and write almost seven pages of Naruto goodness. Haha…I hope you enjoy this chapter, cause I enjoyed writing it. Let me know what you think! 

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto. And if I decide to put in any new characters or plot, that's all from my own twisted little mind.

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**Because I am a Girl**

Chapter Three – The Sun goes up and the Sun goes down

* * *

It was sunny outside when Naruko woke up. She felt like absolute shit. 

She's never had her chakra depleted to that extent before. In fact, all she wanted to do is to close her eyes and fall back into the land of unconsciousness. But, of course, being Naruko, fate would never allow her to have her way.

The door opened just as she was closing her eyes, revealing her silver haired teacher. His eyes widened in slight surprise, before softening. A smile could be detected even behind his half mask. "Good to see you awake."

Naruko opened her mouth to utter a greeting, but no words came out. Frowning at her uncooperative voice, she tried again. This time she managed to produce a tiny squeak. Smiling sheepishly at her teacher, she watched as humour flooded into his eyes.

"I never thought I would be able to see the day when you are speechless."

Chuckling at her pout, he moved to gently help her into a sitting position. Moving to the bedside table, he poured her a glass of water. "Drink slowly."

Nodding even as she emptied the glass, she sighed in contentment. Handing her glass back to the jounin, she tried to speak again. This time she succeeded, even though her voice was hoarse with its disuse.

"How long have I been unconscious, Kakashi-sensei?"

"Ten days."

"What!"

Chuckling again at her wide eyed gaze belief, Kakashi continued, "You got us a bit worried. Usually you'd be up and running in half that time. But I think that you probably just needed the time to get used to your new…or rather, old…body."

Naruko lowered her head. She had forgotten that she is no longer Uzumaki Naruto. Her mask has now cracked open, leaving her vulnerable. How is she supposed to face everyone now? How is she supposed to face the scorn and distrust of her friends? And Sasuke already knows! Sasuke…would he think her disgusting…a pathetic liar? As much as she hates to admit it, Sasuke's opinion matters the most to her out of everyone she knows. He's her rival, teammate,…and best friend.

Her thoughts were interrupted by the hand on her shoulder. Naruko looked up with watery eyes to see the face of her sensei.

"Don't worry Naruko. Everything will turn out okay."

Moving his hand to affectionately ruffle her hair, Kakashi said, "Friends are friends, Naruko. They will understand in the end."

Pausing in his movements, Kakashi suddenly straightened back up. "Maa, I should go now. Still have things to take care of."

As he moved to open the door, he heard a quiet voice speak out, "Thanks, Kakashi-sensei."

Turning his head to give one last crinkled smile, he left the room.

Naruko leaned back onto the headboard, heart lighter than it was ten minutes ago. May be things will be alright in the end.

Her thoughts were interrupted as her door slammed open. Startled, she looked up to see Sasuke's face, frozen in the doorway.

There was a moment of silence as they both just stared at each other. She was the first to break out of her trance. "Hi."

Sasuke blinked, before moving into the room and closing the door behind him. His reply was just as quiet, "Hi."

He cleared his throat, before speaking, "I saw Kakashi down the hallway. He told me you were awake."

She bit into her bottom lip, nervous under the gaze of her teammate. "Would you like to sit?"

Spying the chair at the corner of the room, Sasuke quietly moved it before the bed, before sitting down. There was another moment of silence. This time, it was Sasuke who spoke first, "How are you feeling?"

Naruko gave a small smile. "A bit tired. My muscles are all sore. Kinda funny since I've been sleeping for ten days apparently."

"You look like shit."

Pouting, Naruko sent him the most deadly glare she could manage at the moment, "I'd slug your ass if I could move right now."

Sasuke smirked. The tension in the air dropped a notch. "I'd like to see you try, Dobe."

"Oooh, you just wait until I get out of here."

"You are all talk, Uzumaki."

Fuming, Naruko gave Sasuke one last deadly glare before turning her head to sulk at the wall.

A moment later, she heard Sasuke's arms surround her before pulling her gently into his embrace. She froze, all thoughts leaving her head, and all she could manage was a squeaky, "Sasuke?"

A soft grunt was her reply as she felt the arm tighten its grip on her back.

"Are you…fluffing up my pillows?"

An annoyed sigh reached her ears. "You looked like you were about to topple over. What idiot decided to leave you in that position anyways?"

Smiling gently, Naruko finally relaxed into his hold. Shifting her body slightly, she let her head drop tiredly onto his chest.

Sasuke paused before continuing his movements. "You are not going to fall asleep on me again are you?"

A light chuckle met his ears. "I'll try not to."

Shifting again, Sasuke carefully lowered the girl onto the newly fluffed up pillows, before tucking the blankets securely around her small frame. Looking back up, he found her staring at him with a strange look in her eyes. "What?"

"I've never had anyone tuck me in before."

Sasuke felt a sudden rush of emotions in his chest. He remembered Kakashi's words ten days earlier in the forest. God, what kind of life has she had? He himself could still remember the bedtime stories as a child, his mother's cooking, training with his father. He could still remember the happier times, the times that he will always treasure. But Naruko has never known those happier times.

"Thank you."

Sasuke's thoughts were interrupted, and he looked at her face, confused. "For what?"

"For caring."

He has never seen her smile that brightly at him before.

Sasuke felt a smile tugging at his own lips. "You are welcome, Naruko."

* * *

"Would you stop squirming?" 

"Shut up, Sasuke. This is all your fault!"

It is the day after Naruko woke up, and the two were slowly making their way out of the Konoha hospital toward the memorial. They had chatted for a long time the day before, and Sasuke had filled her in on the major happenings around Konoha while she was unconscious. Naruko was pained to find out that the Sandaime had indeed died in the battle with the Sound; and that she had missed his funeral five days prior. After much begging and pleading on her part, the doctor had finally agreed to discharge her the next day, but only if someone were to come and pick her up, as she was still rather weak. One look from her big round blue eyes and Sasuke found himself crumbling.

It is now the morning after, and Sasuke was silently cursing his own weakness. He had his arm around her waist, supporting her as they slowly walked. And she was tugging feverously at her pants.

"Couldn't you have gotten me some clothes that fit?"

Sighing at his doomed fate, Sasuke patiently replied, "Those are the smallest I have."

"And they are all black! Why didn't you get me my own clothes?"

"Because, dobe, I don't have the keys to your apartment. And I didn't think you'd want me busting your door down just to get you a shirt."

Naruko pouted.

"And besides, it's not like your own clothes would fit much better. You are even smaller now than before."

"You calling me short!"

"Yes."

"I'm gonna kick your ass, Sasuke!"

"Sure, but let's wait until you can stand on your own okay?"

"Fine." Naruko grumbled out.

A faint smirk grazed Sasuke's lips. "And what's with your fascination with my ass anyways? You mention it at least five times every conversation we have."

Naruko's jaw dropped. "W..W..WHAT!"

Sasuke rolled his eyes, and laughed inwardly at Naruko's expression. "Keep moving, will you? I'd like to get to the memorial sometime today."

Seething, Naruko imagined a hundred different ways to beat up the Uchiha beside her, before letting a sly smile creep onto her face. "Hey Sasuke, can you take me shopping later?"

Glancing at her face, he replied, "No."

"But you said it yourself, I have no clothes that fit!"

"Go on your own."

"But I can't even stand on my own yet! How am I supposed to manage a whole shopping excursion?"

"So go later."

Lifting an elegant eyebrow, Naruko decided to pull out the big guns. "You do realize, Sasuke, that I am currently standing in your shirt and your pants with no bra and no underwear." Seeing his eyes widen, she silently congratulated herself. "Why do you think I keep trying to pull up these pants? I was serious when I said I have _nothing_ to wear."

Sasuke felt Naruko's soft body pressing into his side, and he found himself sweeping a quick glance down her body. _Shit, she was serious. _Clearing his throat, he fought to keep down a blush. "Not my problem."

Naruko frowned, before giving it one last try. "Please, Sasuke-_kuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuun_!"

This time, Sasuke could not keep the grimace from his face. "Bloody hell. Don't _ever_ do that again."

Grinning, she asked, "So we are going shopping?"

"Whatever."

She laughed.

* * *

On the side of the road, unnoticed by Sasuke and Naruko, stood two silent figures. They stared, unblinking, at the sight before them. It wasn't until many minutes later that one of them spoke. 

"Was that…Uchiha Sasuke?"

"Aa."

"With a hot blonde chick attached to him?"

"Aa."

"Wearing his clothes?"

"Aa."

"With no bra?"

"Aa."

Blink. "Damn."

"Aa."

"Let's go tell Hinata, Shino."

With that, Kiba and Shino rushed toward the training grounds, ready to share the spectacle they just witnessed.

And shit, as they often say, is about to hit the fan.

* * *

A/N: Haha….How will everyone else react to Sasuke's new 'relationship'? Please note that at this point, the only one of the younger generation that actually knows Naruko's secret is Sasuke. Everyone else knew that she was in the hospital recuperating, but the entire thing was kind of kept under wraps while she was still unconscious. Now that she is awake, she is the one who will eventually have to tell everyone the big secret. 

Also, I don't want to make people appear too out of character, but sometimes it will happen, but that mainly depends on plot and character development. Such as in this story, people may think that Naruko is coming on a bit strong toward Sasuke. But keep in mind that she lived most of her life as a boy, so she doesn't have as much restraint toward her own body and sexuality as most other girls may have. This can also be seen through her frequent use of the sexy-no-jutsu. So, basically keep an open mind. I will always have a reason for whatever I may do with the characters.


	4. But I'll be here

A/N: Hi everyone! Thank you soooooooooooooo much for your reviews! I am so glad that you like my story. Hopefully you will like this chapter as well. I've thinking about the plot of this story…and I'm really looking forward to writing some of the later chapters. So I'm going to try and update more frequently so things will get more interesting faster. (Key word: try)

Ok…I just want to clarify their ages, so that you guys won't be confused…. and it's important because this story is going to fast forward a few times so that they are older, so it's better to be clear about it now. This story is set right after the final stage of the first chuunin exam. Since the kids were twelve when they graduated from the academy, and at least a few months has past since then, I'm going to make Naruto, Sasuke, etc. thirteen years old. Therefore, Neji, Lee and them are fourteen.

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto.

* * *

Because I Am A Girl 

Chapter Four – But I will be here

* * *

Naruko stood silent in front of the memorial, eyes staring blankly at the newly etched name, mind wandering in her memories. A few feet behind her stood Sasuke, silently giving her space. 

It was many minutes later before she spoke.

"That was stupid, old man, really stupid." A faint smirk appeared at the corner of her lips, "I mean, I knew there wasn't too much in that perverted mind of yours. But did you really have to prove me right?" She sighed, the smirk slowly turning upside down into a scowl. "You could at least wait until my whole personality issue is sorted out before kicking the bucket. But nooooooooooo, Naruko is on her own for this one."

She paused in her tirade, irritation clearly visible to all that knows her. Carelessly swiping her long hair from her face, Naruko sighed again before continuing, gesturing wildly to make her point known. "I finally got some people to accept me for who I am, and now I have to explain to them why I have breasts! Have you seen these things! They throw my entire balance off! I can't even move right!"

Behind her, Sasuke made a weird noise in the back of his throat that sounded suspiciously like a choked snicker. Swirling around, Naruko shot him the dirtiest look she could manage, before turning back to face the memorial.

"See what I mean?" She pouted, before becoming silent once more. Something foreign passed behind her eyes, and she took a step forward, lightly tracing the carved name. "Well…at least you waited until I beat that Gaara kid. You shoulda seen me. I kicked some major ass there." Her hand stilled. She bowed her head, letting her hair cover her face once more. She was quiet when she spoke again, "I guess….I just want to say thank you. I…I know I'd be dead a long time ago if it weren't for you. So, I'd like to thank you for caring when nobody else did. And that….you were a great hokage, Sandaime."

She lingered there for a few more moments, before finally stepping back. When she turned her head back up, a gigantic foxy smile shined on her face. "But just you watch, old man, I am going to be the greatest hokage Honoha has seen yet! I promise."

Turning around, she called out, "Let's go, Sasuke! Time to go shopping!"

Smirking, he moved forward to gently take her arm. "Are you sure you are up to it?"

Naruko arced an elegant eyebrow, "You are not getting out of it that easily."

Sasuke barely stopped his eyes from rolling, "Just thought you'd be tired."

"Nah, I'm up for it if you are."

"Let's go then."

They made it halfway across the field, before spying a small figure walking toward them in the distance. Naruko stopped, her eyes widening in surprise before settling for a look of barely concealed apprehension. Sasuke frowned in confusion. He's seen that kid before, but the name evaded him.

The boy walked closer, lost in his own thoughts, not noticing the people in his path until they were directly in front of him. Head dropping again, he moved to walk around the two, not saying a single word.

"Konohamaru."

The boy stopped, before turning back to look at the strange girl. She looked familiar, but odd wearing male clothing that were too large for her. She was with a dark haired boy, the Uchiha prodigy, if he remembered correctly.

He replied quietly, "Do I know you?"

Her eyes softened, "No hello for your leader?"

Konohamaru's eyes crinkled in confusion as he studied the face in front of him. Suddenly, his eyes widened in apparent realization, before exclaiming in the most energetic voice he's shown in days, "Naruto-niichan!"

The blond smiled and nodded, happy to be recognized.

"But…why are you in your sexy-no-jutsu form?"

Her smiled vanished. She sighed, before turning to her dark haired companion. Giving him a small nod and a look of assurance, she gently removed his hold on her arm, and moved forward to stand in front of Konohamaru.

"I'm not using my sexy-no-jutsu."

"Huh?"

"Konohamaru, I'm going to tell you something that'll probably really surprise you. But I need you to listen to me okay? Let me finish explaining." At his slow nod, she continued. "My name is Uzumaki Naruko. But you know me as Naruto…because I've been living at Naruto for the last seven years of my life."

A look of shock and confusion appeared on Konohamaru's face. Naruko could almost feel the onslaught of questions that were coming, so she continued on.

"I was born a girl. Seven years ago, some really bad men tried to hurt me, and there's a big chance that they'll come after me again. So the sandaime decided to put a henge seal on me…to hide me and to protect me. The seal allowed the henge to draw chakra from him, since I didn't know to use chakra back then. And he could also modify the henge accordingly over time. When the hokage…when the hokage died, the seal was broken. And that's why I'm a girl again."

There was a moment of silence.

"Oh."

Naruko's jaw dropped, "Oh? That's it!"

" Huh?"

"Aren't you going to freak out and be like: 'You betrayed me Naruko! I'll never trust you again!'"

"Uhmmm……should I?"

"No!"

"So why are you mad?"

Naruko was speechless.

Konohamaru flashed her a small grin, flashing his missing front tooth. "You are funny, Naruko-neechan."

Naruko's eyes widened, and she stuttered out, "Nee…nee-chan?"

"You are a girl right? So it's nee-chan. Unless you like nii-chan better?"

"No, nee-chan's fine."

"Ok."

Naruko looked down at the still grinning face, and couldn't resist asking, "Why aren't you mad?"

His face turned into one of confusion, "Huh?"

"I mean, I thought you'd be angry that I lied to you."

"Oh." Understanding fined dawned on Konohamaru, and he scratched his head, a bit sheepish, "You are my leader. And…well, jii-chan is the one who put the henge on you. So it's not like you did it on purpose."

"Yeah." Naruko replied, relieved and touched by his simple answer.

A bit uncomfortable with the silence, Konohamaru fidgeted, "I gotta go, Naruko-neechan. I'll see ya later." With that, he turned and headed toward the direction of the memorial.

Naruko watched him go in silence, in quiet contemplation. Suddenly, her eyes widened in realization, and she called out toward Konohamaru, "He saved my life."

He turned, silently questioning.

She smiled, and continued, "Hokage-sama, he saved my life with the henge seal. He saved a lot of people, Konohamaru."

He looked at her for a moment, emotions running through his eyes, before breaking out into a smile. "Thanks nee-chan!" With a final wave, he turned and ran toward the memorial with a regained vigor.

Naruko watched him go, a small smile playing at her own lips. Sighing, she let herself slump against Sasuke, who has walked up behind her after Konohamaru's leave. Slowly, they continued on their way in a companionable silence.

A few minutes later, Sasuke spoke, "Why do you do that?"

"Do what?" She replied in genuine confusion.

"Expect others to not understand. Expect others to leave you."

"I…I don't know." But she did know. She knew that even if her thinking is slightly warped, she couldn't stop it on willpower alone, because it is based on years of loneliness and neglect. It didn't matter how often she told herself that her friends are real, and that they'll stick by her no matter what, she'll always have that seed of doubt. Maybe with time, that doubt will fade away.

"Did you doubt me?"

"No."

Her answer was quick, almost instinctive, but it was sure. And she can honestly answer that it is the truth. Because as awkward and strange as things may have been, she's never questioned Sasuke. She never had the need to question Sasuke, because he was just _there_. This is the way things are between them. They fight like cats and dogs, but they also trusted each other. She knows that no matter what, Sasuke has got her back, because this is the way of their camaraderie. It doesn't matter who they are or what they do, they just _accept_. If Sasuke tells her tomorrow that he feels the urge to become a woman, she'll probably laugh her ass off. But she'll also accept him; she'll always accept him.

"Why not?"

"Because." She didn't finish, and he didn't push her. They just continued walking, letting silence overcome them for once.

'Because…you are Sasuke.'

* * *

A/N2: Sorry about this late update guys. I had half of this done weeks ago, but then I went through some personal problems, so I couldn't really sit down and write anything decent till now. This is shorter than what I was aiming for, but I have exams and didn't want to put off posting it any longer. Not a lot of humour here, but I hope you enjoyed it anyways. So review and let me know what you think! And in the next chapter, Naruko will finally face the other shinobi…haha…I've been putting that off for a while now. 


	5. Tangled in this

AN: Alright, for those of you that do not read my author's bio….read it. But I'll summarize what I wrote here anyways. I'm going away for the summer, therefore I won't be able to update till August. But I'll take my laptop along with me; so expect a big update in August. Also, I'm going to create a mailing list for those of you that want to be notified of when I update my stories. I don't have a regular updating schedule, so I figured that this might be useful. Read my bio page for more details. By the way, don't know if you noticed, but I updated all three of my stories this time as a parting gift. Check out the other ones too please! Enjoy your summer!

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.

* * *

Chapter Five – Tangled in this

* * *

"I think you should go home and rest."

"Damnit Sasuke, I told you, I'm perfectly fine!"

"Stop being so stubborn, usuratonkachi."

"Say it again to my face, bastard!"

"I said: stop being so stub–"

"Eh? Sasuke, what's wrong?"

Naruko looked up at her dark haired companion and found him staring off into the distance. Looking in the same direction, she could only make out some blurs that she assumed to be people. They were on the edge of one of Konoha's most popular training grounds, so that came with no real surprise. But the fact that Sasuke has stopped mid-sentence and is now staring blatantly into the distance with a tense look on his face is slightly alarming.

"What is it, Sasuke? Who do you see?"

Sasuke blinked at the incessant nudging on his arm, sharingan eyes fading back to black. Looking down at the blonde, he spoke, "Let's take the shortcut into town. Didn't you say you want to go shopping?"

"Hey! You didn't answer my question!" Naruko complained as she tried to shake off the arm around her waist that is currently leading her away from the training ground.

"Would you just listen to me for once, dobe? Come on."

"Not until you tell me what' going on. Let me go, idiot!"

"Damnit, Naruko. Move your little blonde ass!"

"Hands off, Uchiha. I'll get you for that comment later, but my pants are going to fall off!"

"Then you better get up and start walking, cause I'm not letting go until we are _away_ from here."

"Sasuke-kun?"

The duo stopped in mid-struggle. Two heads slowly turned to take in the staring face of Sakura before them. Behind her stood the rest of the rookie nine plus Gai's team, all with identical looks of wonderment, confusion, and various degrees of disgust.

Wait……_disgust?_

Sasuke and Naruko turned their head back to observe their current position. In an attempt to stop the Uchiha, Naruko decided to drop down to the ground, but ended up kneeling instead due to the arm holding her up. The same arm that has pulled her shirt way too high for comfort. Sasuke's other hand is currently gripping the fabric around her shoulders while trying to lift her back up by force. Naruko also had her arms wrapped around each of Sasuke's legs to keep him from moving. All in all, they made a dangerous picture.

"I know your girlfriend is hot and all, Sasuke, but _try_ to keep it in the bedroom?"

The reaction was instantaneous. Naruko let out her loudest and most girly screech to date, and let go of Sasuke the exact moment that he jumped back away from her. He landed lightly on his feet a few meters away, while she toppled over onto the grass at the lack of support.

"Ow."

Swearing under his breath, Sasuke rushed forward again and kneeled down beside the blonde. Gently helping her back into a sitting position, he questioned, "Are you alright? Sorry about that, didn't mean to be so rough."

"I'm fine. I think I over did it a bit though. I forgot how sore I was with the adrenaline going."

"You shouldn't say things like that, Kiba. I think it's wonderful that they are in the spring time of their love!"

Sasuke whipped his head around to look back at their forgotten audience. Looking at the staring faces, he suddenly remembered their disheveled appearance. With a dark scowl toward Kiba's leering smirk, he pulled Naruko's rumpled shirt back down. Both Neji and Shikamaru narrowed their eyes at the revealed Uchiha symbol on the back of the obviously male shirt. Their eyes softened however, when the girl finally turned around and gave them a sheepish grin. While they were sure that they have never seen her before, she did look extremely familiar. And somehow, her smile was strangely comforting.

"Sasuke-kun…who is she?" Sakura finally asked the question that everyone was thinking in their head. Her voice was quiet, and a twinge of hurt could be seen in her eyes. In her head, inner Sakura was rampaging at the outrage of it all.

"Yeah, Sasuke-kun, is she your girlfriend?" Ino asked loudly, while swearing in her mind, 'Damnit. If I knew he was into blondes with blue eyes I would have tried harder.'

"Why is she wearing your shirt? And why were you all over each other?"

"Kiba-kun, you shouldn't ask that."

"Sorry, Hinata."

Naruko's eyes widened like a deer in headlights. She slowly turned toward Sasuke, before scowling. "You could have warned me."

He returned her look, "I did."

"No you _didn't_. 'Move your little blonde ass' doesn't count!"

"What do you want me to say?"

"How about 'every Konoha genin you know is standing right across that field, and we better move it unless you want to get into some deep shit.'"

"You have no appreciation for subtlety."

"You call what you did _subtlety_?"

"Shut up, usuratonkachi."

"Make me, you bastard!"

A loud cough interrupted their tirade, and they turned back toward the other genins, and fell silent once more.

"Is it just me, or was that conversation strangely familiar?" Chouji whispered not so quietly to Shikamaru, who simply narrowed his eyes further in response.

Naruko could feel their eyes on her. A quick sweeping glance confirmed this fact.

Shino was holding a kikai bug in front of his face, listening intently while sending her discreet looks behind his sunglasses. Kiba was kneeling beside Akamaru, who was barking excitedly. Frowning at whatever his beloved dog said, Kiba took a few tentative sniffs in her general direction, and widening his eyes in surprise. And Neji, standing stoically beside his teammates, has not moved his eyes from her once.

Slowly, she met those silver eyes, and felt a shiver go down her back.

Those eyes narrowed.

"Byakugan!"

She jumped back in surprise, and felt Sasuke's hand on her shoulder, steadying her.

"What is going on…Naruto?"

"WHAAAAAAAT!"

"What are you talking about, Neji?"

Ignoring the squeals and yells around him, Neji fixed his eyes on her once more, waiting for his answer. His gaze turning even more intimidating with the bulging veins of the byakugan visible.

"So our noses aren't wrong after all, Akamaru."

"Aa. My kikai told me the same thing."

"How troublesome."

"Naruto! What the hell do you think you are doing? Prancing around Sasuke-kun in that stupid sexy no jutsu form. Does he even know it's you? Change back! I can't believe I didn't see it before."

Naruko turned to take in her angry pink haired teammate, slightly hurt at her accusations. She bit her bottom lip, but didn't say anything back. She felt Sasuke tighten his grip on her shoulder.

"It's not a henge."

"Eh?"

Everyone turned to look at the Hyuuga prodigy once again.

He explained, "She's not using any chakra. The only reason that I recognize that it is Naruto is due to his unique chakra system." He let his byakugan fade away before adding, "Or her unique chakra system. I don't know which is true at this point."

Everyone frowned at this piece of news.

Sakura turned to study the seemingly familiar blonde. It was true that while she did hold a startling resemblance to Naruto's sexy no jutsu form, there were also some noticeable differences. Her structure was more petite, almost delicate in a sense, but she noticed the lean muscles on her back and stomach during her earlier wrestling match with Sasuke. Her curves were also less exaggerated. Her long blonde hair was loose and hanging down her back.

Quietly, Hinata called upon her own bloodline limit. "Byakugan." Studying the blonde for a few moments, she too returned her eyes to normal. "It's true. As far as I can tell, Naruto is a girl right now."

"But how is that…possible?" Tenten questioned out loud.

Everyone turned once again to look at the couple on the ground.

Slowly, they got up to their feet. Sasuke remained silent beside her, his hand moving to her lower back in a sign of support.

"You are both right." She began, "My name is Uzumaki Naruko, and I am a girl. For the past seven years, I have been living as Uzumaki Naruto, whom you all know. We are the same person, but this is my true form."

The other genins' jaw dropped. A few of them moved to comment.

"Wait! Please let me finish first before you ask any questions." At the lack of opposition, Naruko continued. "Seven years ago, some men tried to kill me. The Sandaime had reasons to believe that they will come after me again. A henge seal was used to change my appearance, in hopes that I would become less susceptible to further attacks. The seal was broken when the Sandaime died, returning me to my own form." She finished the prepared story that only held half of the truth. This was the version the Hokage gave her seven years ago, when she first changed into Naruto. "You can ask your questions now."

Chouji raised his hand.

"Yes, Chouji?"

"You are one hundred percent girl?"

"With two X chromosomes and everything."

"Cool."

Naruko chuckled lightly at that. "Thanks, Chouji." She turned toward an excited Kiba and a barking Akamaru. "Yeah?"

"You make a freakin _hot_ girl, man!" He earned a few chuckles at this.

A blush rose on her cheeks. "Uhmmm….thanks, Kiba." Beside Naruko, Sasuke scowled darkly.

"What are you laughing at? I'm serious! Don't you think so, Hinata?"

Hinata blushed an even darker colour than Naruko, and stared at her feet.

"O…k….You are with me on this, right Shino?"

"Aa."

Shikamaru cleared his throat loudly, drawing everyone's attention away from the current conversation. Naruko sent him a grateful look. "So…Naruko, is it? Will you stay a girl from now on?"

"I think so. I mean…I'm a shinobi now, so I can protect myself. And it would be kind of pointless…since it's not exactly a secret anymore."

"I see. And what are the chances of these people going after you again?"

Naruko pondered at this. The people that attacked her seven years ago were long gone. But as long as she has the Kyuubi inside of her, there will always be a level of risk. "Honest, I don't know. The hokage wasn't very forthcoming in his explanations seven years ago, but I guess he thought that it was risky enough to keep the seal on for all these years. But I'm a lot stronger now, like I said before, so I wouldn't worry too much." Not a lie exactly, just some omission of the truth.

Shikamaru nodded. Her answer was vague, but he really didn't expect anything too detailed. The entire situation was strange enough as it is. In fact, the whole thing just seemed like a huge conspiracy. But it is way too troublesome for him to mess with.

Ino opened her mouth to ask something, but stopped when she saw Sakura walk toward her teammates. She frowned at the grave look on the face of her pink haired friend. This could get potentially messy.

Sakura stopped in front of Naruko. For a few seconds, they just looked at each other. Then without a word, Sakura turned to face Sasuke.

"How long have you known about this?"

"Since the fight with Gaara."

"Why didn't you tell me? We are teammates after all."

"It wasn't my place to tell."

"Fair enough."

She turned back toward Naruko, once again studying her.

A flash of vulnerability passed behind Naruko's eyes, but disappeared before it could be seen. Instead, it was replaced by a familiar crinkled smile.

"Sakura-chan, what's with the look? It's kind of scary."

Sakura's eyes hardened.

A loud slap echoed through the clearing.

The other genins' eyes widened at this scene. Some let out surprised gasps.

Sasuke visibly tensed. He stepped forward and growled out, "Sakura…"

"Sasuke."

He stopped at the soft voice beside him. He felt a warm hand grab onto his own clenched fist, and felt some of the tension fade away. Reluctantly, he let her pull him back.

With her head lowered, Naruko hid her eyes from view. Releasing her grip on Sasuke, she waited for the onslaught that she knew was coming. And she wasn't disappointed.

"When are you going to stop this act? This fake cheesy smile and that loud obnoxious voice…I hate it! When are you going to stop lying to us!"

Naruko didn't answer.

"If the hokage didn't die, would you have kept on with this façade?"

"…Yes."

Sakura's eyes further darkened with a flurry of emotions. "You, Uzumaki Naruto, or Naruko, or who the hell you say you are, are the most pathetic person I know." She let a sneer crawl onto her face, "I've wondered why you were always alone; why everyone hated you. Now I know. You are just a loud, obnoxious _lie_. A pathetic _mistake_. How can you expect us…_me_…to trust you when everything about you has been a lie!"

"Hey…Sakura…maybe you should think about this a little more. Take a breather or something."

"Shut up, Ino!"

Ino sputtered in indignity, and moved to retort, but paused at the sharp glare directed toward her by Sakura. In the years she's known Sakura, she's never seen her like this. Even angry, she's never had this level of _intensity_ in her. Although Sakura has never been the most composed person, it was always mostly superficial. This…was like a different person. Ino was briefly reminded of the preliminaries at the Chuunin exams, when she went into Sakura's mind. Perhaps this was the darker Sakura that was always hidden in the depth of her own mind.

The pink haired girl turned back to her blonde teammate.

"All this time, when you bothered me, asked me out on dates, was that all an act too?"

"Yes."

She laughed. When her laughter faded, a sinister smile remained. "You _bitch_! Did you think it was funny? Hey, let's be as annoying as possible and mess with Sakura's fucking mind! Let's make her life a living hell!"

"Shut up, Sakura!"

"No, Sasuke. I want to hear this."

Naruko raised her head. Frozen, expressionless blue eyes gazing straight into angry green ones. For a second, Sakura faltered, but her anger came rushing back.

"Never took you for a masochist, but then again, I guess I didn't know you at all." She moved her eyes to look at the seething Uchiha, noticing the slight swirls of red peaking through his normally dark eyes. Sakura felt her jaws clench. "Did you think that everyone would just accept you with open arms? Did you think you've _won_? Were you laughing inside? How did you do it, Naruko? You knew how I felt about Sasuke-kun! You….you…I have no words to describe you. Did you just take your clothes off like the slut that you are? Use a genjutsu on him? _What_? What did you do to make him look at you? _What the fuck did you do?_"

A tiny smirk appeared at the corner of Naruko's lips.

"There's the line I've waiting for."

Sakura's eyes narrowed.

A small chuckle escaped Naruko's lips. "You can yell and scream all you want Sakura, but it was never about me. It was always about Sasuke."

"No, it wasn't."

"Shut up and let me finish."

Sakura wisely chose to stay silent, a shiver going down her back. Those blue eyes were burning with something unreadable.

"You want to know how I knew that? Because he's _all_ you ever cared about. But you were right, Sakura, the whole thing was an act." The smirk widened. "I acted the way I was told to act. I acted the way I _had to act_. Because I was an idiotic thirteen year old _boy_. But you felt good about it, didn't you? Deep down, your ego liked it. You liked the praises and the attention. And you can't handle the fact that it was a lie!" Her loud breathing could be heard in the silence. She collected herself. "I'm sorry for being annoying, Sakura. And I'm sorry for lying. But I don't regret it. Do you want to know why?" Sakura didn't say anything, but she continued nevertheless. "Because it kept me _alive_. You want to know who I really am? I am a lie, a mistake, an _abomination_."

"I didn't say that."

"Maybe, maybe not. But it doesn't matter to me. Nothing I haven't heard before. Take a good, hard look at me Sakura and listen to this. Be glad I worn a mask, because _you can't handle the truth_."

Naruto closed her eyes, briefly losing to the monsters in her mind. When she opened them again, Sakura saw the raw, aged pain for the first time. She couldn't help but let out a gasp.

"You think I made your life hell, Sakura? Try living mine."

She turned around, and took a few steps before pausing. "By the way, I never touched Sasuke. He lent me the shirt when he visited me at the hospital. We are friends, Sakura. I hope you at least understand that."

She continued to walk away then. Sasuke made a move to follow her.

"I need some alone time right now. Don't follow me…please."

Sasuke paused in his step, before continuing. "I'll take you home, and you can have as much alone time as you want there."

Naruko turned her head to flash him a brief smile.

"Kage bunshin no jutsu!"

Instantaneously, ten kage bunshins appeared around the original, and all eleven identical copies rushed into the forest in different directions.

"_Shit_."

Sasuke turned back to the other genins. Twirling sharingan eyes met byakugan, and an understanding was formed.

"Did you see where the real one went?"

Neji shook his head, letting the bulging veins fade away. "They crowded together and dispersed too fast." He smirked, "Kage bunshin, the only thing my byakugan can't catch. Should have expected this from her."

Sasuke nodded, and let his own sharingans fade away. "I have to find her. The kage bunshins will disappear soon. I'm going to need your help."

Neji nodded his confirmation.

"I…I'll look for her too. I can probably help a little." Hinata spoke up.

"Alright! Then I'm in too. Me and Akamaru will find her in a second."

"Che, how troublesome."

"I'll look too. But I'm just wondering, why do you have to find her this fast? I mean, if she wants some time alone to think, there's nothing wrong with that." Tenten questioned.

Sasuke sighed, realizing that he needed to explain the reasons behind his intentions before they start their Naruko hunt. "She just spent the last week and a half in the hospital. She could barely walk on her own. I don't how she managed the kage bunshins in her condition, but I need to find her before she does anything even more stupid."

"That bad?"

"Yeah. She was so messed up she was in a coma for ten days. She just woke up yesterday."

Eyes widened at this comment.

"Then how is she walking around?" Kiba questioned.

Sighing again in impatience, Sasuke answered shortly, "I was helping her."

"But…"

"But what?"

"Well, you two just seemed…close."

Holding back his biting remark, Sasuke growled out, "We are _friends_. Friends help each other. And we are teammates; of course we are close."

Kiba said nothing to that, realizing his misunderstanding. Before Sasuke and Naruko showed up at the training grounds, he had spent no less than thirty minutes speculating about Sasuke's new 'girlfriend' to the other Konoha genins. He had noticed the jealous looks from some of the girls, and found even more amusement further emphasizing on their blatant flirtation and closeness. Not to mention Naruko was wearing Sasuke's clothes. But he didn't think Sakura would blow up like this. Making a mental note to apologize to Naruko later, he readied himself for the upcoming search.

"I think we should split up to cover more ground. Meet back here every hour to check in with your progress. That okay?"

Everyone nodded in confirmation. As Sasuke turned to go, a small voice stopped him in mid-step.

"Sasuke-kun."

His body tensed in anger, but he forced his own indifferent mask in place. He doesn't have time for this right now. "What is it?"

"I…"

"Look, you can say whatever you want to say later." He started walking again.

"Wait, Sasuke-kun! I…I just…"

"Sakura." He turned his head to look at her with those cold and calculating eyes, a condescending and cruel smirk at a corner of his lips. She hated that look. "You are annoying."

Turning back away from her, he continued walking away. "I don't even want to look at you right now."

Sakura watched him fade into the trees. Whatever anger had urged her on before has faded. Now, only guilt and regret remained. She could feel tears rush into her eyes.

"Sakura."

Looking up with watery eyes, she answered, "I thought you left with Shikamaru and them."

"No, I'm supposed to be at the flower shop in forty minutes."

"Oh."

Ino took in her friend's crestfallen face. She's never thought Sakura felt that strongly about Sasuke. As much as she disapproved of her actions, Sakura was still her friend. And she needed her right now. "Let's get some ice cream, big forehead girl."

* * *

He found her leaning against the wall of a small cave about a fifteen minutes walking distance from town. This part of the forest was wild with vegetation, and few people come here, training or otherwise. The mouth of the cave was also concealed with thick undergrowth, making it very difficult to find.

She opened her eyes from her spot on the ground, and flashed him a light smile. "Two hours and twenty minutes."

He smirked and sat down beside her. "Not my best time."

She chuckled at that. "How did you find me?"

A raised eyebrow was her answer.

She rolled her eyes. "Right, stupid question."

They both sat in silence for a moment, before he offered, "Kiba had you for a while."

"Oh?"

"Before he came across a river and lost your scent." He looked at her with calculating eyes, "Didn't think you'd try that hard."

She snorted, "Figured Sasuke would get all you guys on a man hunt. Is it too much to ask for a little peace and quiet?"

He didn't answer, knowing that she didn't expect one for her rhetorical question.

A moment later, she spoke again. "I just needed to clear my head, ya know. I kind of lost it back there for a second. I'm afraid of losing control." She closed her eyes and leaned her head back against the wall. "I used to come here just to think. To isolate myself I guess. Haven't needed to do that in a while though."

He studied her for a moment. Long hair falling over her shoulders and framing her face like a halo. Her long lashes falling gently onto her cheeks. His gaze swept over the whisper-like scars, briefly wondering about their presence. She has pulled her knees close to her body and wrapped her arms around her legs. He realized suddenly that sitting there, in overly large clothing, she looked vulnerable, like a child. While she acted as Naruto, she always ran around, loudly playing pranks. But he saw that only as an annoyance, albeit it was an amusing annoyance. But now, sitting here, he finally realized how deep her mask ran. Did she ever let herself be a real child? Or was that all an act as well?

He turned away to face the opposite wall instead. On some levels, he knew how she felt. Despite of their differences, their pain, anguish and loneliness were the same. They both grew up too early, too fast. But such was the shinobi life, as was the life of their parents, grandparents, and perhaps their children as well.

Shaking his head, he pushed himself away from this train of thought. He will live his life in his own way, and chose his own destiny. He has a choice now. She taught him that.

"Naruko."

She opened her eyes, "Yeah."

"You are falling asleep."

"No, I'm not."

He raised an eyebrow, and decided to leave this argument. He will not argue with immature children. "You want to go home now?"

She pouted, "I wanted to go home an hour ago."

He blinked. "Why didn't you?"

She looked at him with a serious look. "Don't laugh."

"What?"

"Just promise you won't laugh at me."

"Alright."

"I can't get up."

His eyes widened. "Really?" Naruko isn't the type of person to admit defeat.

"Yeah." She chuckled, "I think I used up all of my adrenaline reserve today or something. I made it up once, took two steps, and fell on my ass."

"I'm not surprised, with your outrageous display with Uchiha earlier."

"Shut up. That was embarrassing."

He smiled at her.

Naruko froze, her mouth dropping open. She blinked rapidly a few times, as if to clear her vision, and went back to gaping at him.

His smile faded. "What?"

"You…you smiled!"

"So?"

"So…you've never smiled at me before."

"Yes I have."

"No. You smirk, raise your eyebrow, roll your eyes, and then smirk some more. You don't smile."

He scowled.

She poked his arm. "Hey Neji."

"What?"

"Do it again."

The corners of his lips raised by the tiniest fraction.

She laughed at that.

He sighed, and stood up. "I think you need some sleep. You are acting weirder than usual. Let's get you home."

"And how am I supposed to get home, Hyuuga?"

"You are going to crawl. How else?"

"_What?_"

Neji rolled his eyes. "I'm going to carry you, idiot."

She glared at him.

"No retort?"

"I'm stopping myself from insulting you since you are technically doing me a favour."

He laughed at that, before kneeling down beside her. As his arm made its way around her back, she asked, "Can you carry me piggy back style?"

He paused in his actions. "Piggy back?"

She responded by sending him a toothy grin.

Sighing, he resigned himself to his horrible fate.

Ten minutes later, while they were slowly making their way down the small path into town, she raised her head sleepily from its place on his shoulder, and mumbled out, "Thanks Neji."

He smiled.

"Go back to sleep, Naruko."

* * *

AN2: Fifteen pages! Haha…my longest chapter to date. It is more than twice my normal length. I hope you enjoyed this chapter. We are slowly entering the plot developing stage of this story. So things will get more interesting soon. I am going to try and follow the anime and manga as much as I can, but at one point it will break off into its own thing. I'm trying to make this as realistic as possible. Like, it is to be expected that having Naruko in the story will change things, but only to a certain extent. Wars will still happen, missions will still happen, but character relationships will change.

Another note, I'm not trying to bash Sakura in this story. While I admit that she is not exactly my favourite character, she is still an important part of this anime. So I'm not purposely making her into this negative character. But she has never been particularly nice to Naruto in the anime, and has used violence on him on numerous occasions. Her understanding of him has also been rather shallow, despite them being on the same team. She's never _tried_ to get to know Naruto as a person. Sakura is also noticeably Sasuke obsessed. She broke off her friendship with Ino because of her crush on Sasuke. She claims she loves him when he betrayed Konoha for Orochimaru. Her every action is done to her idea of what Sasuke might like. But she never really _knew_ him. So I don't see it as love, but more of an obsession. Therefore, I think that of everyone that might turn on Naruko, she is the most likely. Because she feels that as Naruko's teammate, she has a right to be upset at her previous lies. She was also pushed into a state of immense jealousy. And finally, abusing Naruto has become a bit of habit for her, so she probably didn't even think things through before acting out. Which is why she felt regret later.


	6. Shell

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.

* * *

**Because I am a Girl**

Chapter Six – Shell

* * *

Naruko walked down the street of Konoha at a brisk pace, heading toward the hospital. Ignoring the speculative gaze at her back, she fiddled with the hokage necklace, her newly developed nervous habit.

"You didn't have to chase me all over Konoha. I would have headed toward the hospital eventually."

She hesitated in mid-step, before continuing on. Not turning around, Naruko replied simply, "He's my teammate."

"Sasuke?"

"Uhmm." Naruko took a few more steps, and paused. Turning her head around and offering Tsunade a sheepish smile, she added, "and Kakashi-sensei of course."

"Of course." A smirk appearing at a corner of her lips.

Naruko looked at the new hokage for a moment, before pouting cutely at the teasing look. Unusually silent for once, she continued on with an even faster pace than before.

Smiling knowingly at the diminishing form in front of her, the sixth hokage quickened her steps to catch up.

* * *

Naruko stopped in front of a plain wooden door. Her hand pausing on the doorknob.

Sasuke was behind that door.

Her hand clutched around the cool metal, knuckles turning white under the pressure.

She really was an idiot.

Her face darkened at the thought.

Who was Sasuke to her?

They fought like cats and dogs, and he has the distinct skill of pissing her off with his presence alone. But…she would risk her life for him in a millisecond. At some point, their intense rivalry was all that got her going. He was a distraction from her inner demons. He kept her on track in her dream of becoming stronger, of becoming the hokage. He reminded her that she wasn't doing this alone….that she wasn't the only one.

Naruko let out a shaky breath.

What a sadistic thought.

They were so different. Sasuke was a born genious, revered by all. He was calm, reserved, and physically kept himself distant from others. He radiated an inner intensity that was not seen but rather felt. She was always the dark sheep growing up. She was loud, obnoxious, and could light up any room with her cheery disposition. But how much of that was actually her? Even their coping mechanisms were different. Sasuke kept people at a distance because he was afraid of people getting closer; because underneath his icy surface and his pretense of control, his emotions ran wild. She instead wore a happy mask that went so deep she could no longer tell what was real and what was fake. She kept all of her fear, hurt and anger locked up in a cage that she almost forgot their existence. Almost.

It is hard to imagine them being anything more than acquaintances had they led any other life but their own. But their pain…their loneliness became a form of medium between them. An intangible line that kept them connected.

So a part of her, a horrible _sadistic_ part of her was glad that Sasuke suffered as she did. She was glad that he had nothing, _no one_, growing up. Because at least now, she has him.

But she almost fucked that up, didn't she.

When she woke up in her own apartment the day after Neji brought her home, she was anxious. She was so close to losing it the day before. Never had she let her demons escape their careful confinement. Underneath the shell that was Uzumaki Naruto, she was safe. But now he was gone. She was once again vulnerable. She was once again lost. She wasn't ready. She needed more time.

So she took the first chance she saw. It was sheer luck that Ero-sennin showed up with a mission. And she packed up without a word, without a second thought. She left because she was a coward, a selfish, _selfish_ coward.

But he came after her.

That idiot actually came after her!

Now, he's lying behind this door…unconscious…perhaps worse.

And that man, Uchiha Itachi.

He brought out something dark in Sasuke. He broke the already fragile control that Sasuke kept over himself. The look in his eyes…the rage.

However indifferent Sasuke may act on the surface, his eyes never lied.

The carefully built shell has disintegrated around him, leaving something almost unrecognizable.

It's too soon.

And she is afraid. She is afraid of him losing himself; and she is afraid of losing him herself.

Because she is perhaps the only one that understood exactly how deep his wounds ran. Those ugly bleeding wounds that never closed.

"Is this Sasuke's room?"

At the sound of Tsunade's voice, Naruko was brought out of her reverie.

"Yeah." She answered quietly.

"Aren't you going in?"

Naruko nodded silently. Ignoring the instinct to just turn around and run, she pushed her inner turmoil into a corner of her mind and quickly opened the door. Her eyes hardened in determination. Uzumaki Naruko is not afraid of anything.

Her gaze landed on the hospital bed at the center of the room. And there he was, lying in perfect stillness. His complexion was pale, and faint drops of perspiration covered his visible skin. His brows were set in a permanent frown, evidence of the internal battle in his mind.

Naruko took a few steps into the room, eyes never leaving the still figure. She opened her mouth to call out his name, but her voice was caught in her throat.

"Naruko?"

Her head wipped toward the source of the sound. Her eyes widened by the slightest fraction before softening. "Sakura-chan."

Memories of their last conversation flooded her mind before she pushed them back. Now is not the time.

Looking past the pink haired figured sitting by the hospital bed, she spotted an arrangement of daffodils on the table. Some petals appeared rustic and close to withering, yet others were still fresh and fragrant. A flash of emotion passed behind her eyes.

"Have you…been here everyday?"

Sakura was silent. Her only reaction was to turn her head briefly to look at the still figure on the bed. Her bloodshot green eyes filled with worry, longing and fatigue. Her silence answering the question.

Letting out a shaky smile, Naruko spoke, "I brought someone. She'll be able to help Sasuke and Kakashi-sensei."

Finally noticing the figure at the door, Sakura spoke again, a tinge of hope in her voice, "She can help Sasuke?"

Naruko nodded and spoke with forced enthusiasm, "Of course she can! She's one of the legendary sannin, Tsunade. And she is also the new hokage!"

Tsunade smiled at Sakura's wide-eyed stare of wonderment. She stepped forward, and spoke in a kind but firm voice, "Let me take a look at him." There was no question in her words.

Quickly moving away from the bed to stand next to Naruko, Sakura watched in amazement as the the newest Hokage placed her palm over Sasuke's forehead, her hand glowing visible chakra.

There was a moment of tension, when all that could be heard was the sound of breathing from the occupants of the room. And then, a quiet moan came from the figure on the bed. His frown becoming deeper as his eyelashes fluttered against pale skin. Slowly, a pair of ebony eyes opened, hazy in their lack of focus.

Tsunade gently removed her hand, the glowing chakra fading away to nothing. She glanced up toward the two girls, before taking a step back away from the hospital bed.

And a spell was broken.

Naruko let out a breath of air that she didn't know she was holding. Her body relaxing in visible relief. She watched him, taking in his features as his eyes slowly took in his surrounding. For a moment, their eyes met.

"Sasuke-kun!"

A pink blur flashed by her peripheral vision as Sakura practically ran to Sasuke's side. Throwing her arms around him, she sobbed into his chest in tears of relief.

Still disoriented, Sasuke had a look of bewilderment on his face as he looked down at the pink mass of hair. Awkwardly, he patted her head in a gesture of comfort.

Naruko looked away.

She felt as if she was intruding a private moment.

Wasn't this a good thing though?

Sakura has liked Sasuke for as long as she could remember. She would do anything for him; give anything to him. And Sasuke…maybe with Sakura, he wouldn't be so alone anymore. Maybe he'll open up more, and that piece of darkness in his mind that has been steadily growing will finally begin to fade away. They were her teammates, and their happiness meant the world to her.

So why does it feel like she just took a rasengan to the chest?

"Sasuke-kun…I'm so glad your are alright. I was so worried!"

Naruko could feel a headache forming. For the first time since the formation of team seven, she felt out of place.

She hated that feeling.

But now is not the time to wallow in self-pity.

She still had to get Tsunade to Kakashi-sensei.

Without another word, she silently left the room.

* * *

"You've been avoiding me."

She froze, her keys inches away from the door lock. Slowly, she turned toward the direction of the voice, before scowling.

"Have not."

"Yes, you have." Sasuke hopped down from his perch on the hallway window. "Anyways, I thought you'd like to spar a bit?"

"Shouldn't you be resting or something?"

"The doctors gave me the all clear. You'd know too if you haven't been avoiding me."

Ignoring his comment, she turned back toward her door, unlocking it. Walking in sluggishly, Naruko collapsed onto her couch, hearing Sasuke closing the door behind him.

"I spent all day training. Don't think I can move another inch."

He moved to sit beside her.

"Why have you been avoiding me?"

Letting out a groan of frustration, she replied, "I have _not_ been avoiding you. I've been busy."

"You visited Kakashi."

Naruko sighed. She leaned her head back against the couch, looking as tired as she felt, "I…didn't want to interrupt anything."

"Interrupt what?"

Turning her head slightly, she took in his genuinely confused expression. She suddenly felt a little silly. "How did you know I visited Kakashi?"

"I asked him."

"Oh."

Sasuke was annoyed. It had taken him a good ten minutes to get Sakura to stop crying into his shirt after he'd first woken up. And by the time he had finally gotten all of his bearings together, his blonde teammate was nowhere to be seen. It had been another four days before he found enough resolve to ask Kakashi if he'd seen Naruko around.

He absolutely hated that knowing twinkle in Kakashi's visible eye.

"I only stayed down the hall. You could have dropped in or something."

"I'm sorry." Naruko turned away again. "Sakura was visiting whenever I stopped by. I…didn't want to interrupt."

Sasuke let out a sigh of exasperation. "You know Sakura. When is she _not_ visiting? You could've come in anyways."

When he received no reply, Sasuke finally took in Naruko's uncomfortable expression, one hand playing with her necklace. A look of understanding passed his features. "_Oh_."

Naruko could feel her face starting to flush.

"I forgot about your fight. I guess you probably weren't really to talk to her just yet."

Naruko's eyes widened. Did he truly not get it?

Looking into his eyes, she found no signs of mockery.

He really didn't get it.

She wanted to laugh.

She was relieved, definitely; but at the same time, for some illogical reason, she was also disappointed.

Instead, she flashed her foxy grin.

Sasuke was instantly on his guard.

"Be glad I'm too tired to spar Uchiha, or I'd beat your ass into the ground fifty different ways in under five minutes…with _chopsticks_."

He scoffed. "I'd like to see you try. Didn't know you had such a kinky side, Naruko. And my ass again. Are you sure you are not obsessed?"

Naruko's jaws dropped. "You…you…you total closet pervert!"

"If anyone's a pervert here, it's you."

"I am _not_ a pervert."

"Denial."

"You are the one that's in denial."

Sasuke raised an eyebrow. And Naruko could feel a giggle bubbling up in her chest. Leaning back against her couch once more, she laughed. Beside her, she could hear Sasuke's soft chuckle.

It felt like forever since the two of them last bantered like this. So much has happened since then.

Naruko let her amusement fade away.

"Sasuke."

"Yeah?"

She hesitated, not knowing exactly how to start. "Are you…alright?"

"Uhmmm……last time I checked I seemed fine."

"That's not what I meant."

"Then what did you mean?"

"I meant…" Words jumbled in Naruto's throat and she sighed in frustration.

Screw subtlety, that's Sasuke's forte, not hers.

"That man, Uchiha Itachi, he's your brother right?"

Sasuke tensed, and the air around them seemed to freeze.

"That's what you meant."

"Yeah," She replied just as softly.

There was a moment of silence. The tension was so thick that she could almost feel it against her skin.

"I'm fine."

Briefly, she was reminded of that one time when Sasuke laid in her arms, seemingly dying.

His last words.

"You want to kill him."

"…Yes."

He's not denying it.

"Will you go after him?"

Sasuke was silent.

She could see his eyes cloud over, seeing something that only he could see. If she looked closely enough, she could almost make out the swirls of red underneath the surface.

She felt her jaws clench together, a feeling of sheer panic threatening to break lose.

"Don't."

She struggled to get the words out.

"At least not yet. He…he's……"

_Much too strong for you. _

Naruko shut her eyes, trying to maintain her control.

_He will destroy you._

She felt the panic erupt like a broken bubble.

"_I can't lose you._"

Her eyes snapped open as the words left her mouth. A stunned silence filled the room.

She could hear her own harsh breathing.

He knows now.

She wanted to laugh at the absurdity of it all.

She didn't want to tell him like this. Hell, she didn't want to tell him at all, not so soon after having just figured it out herself.

How important he was to her.

She felt his hand covering her own fist, gently prying the tense fingers apart before curling them into his own.

"You won't lose me."

She felt a sob catching in her throat.

She tightened her hand around his.

"Damnit, Sasuke…" She choked out.

"_You won't lose me_."

She tried to believe that.

She really did.

Sometimes she thought she might have tried a little too hard.

But still she wondered, who was he trying to convince……him or her?

* * *

AN: Alright you guys. Here's chapter six. I know this is months behind schedule. And I'm really sorry about that. What can I say…unforeseen circumstances. I'll try to make it up to you guys with the next chapter. I know this chapter hasn't been the most exciting, but the next one definitely will be. Keep checking my author's bio page, since that's where I'll put my update information. 


	7. NOT A CHAPTER! AUTHOR'S APOLOGY!

NOT A CHAPTER! AUTHOR'S APOLOGY!

A/N:

First of all I'd like to apologize to everyone who follows this story. I haven't been on this site in forever and didn't think anyone was still reading it. So I was completely shocked when I logged on today out of the blue, and realized that it was getting hundreds, if not thousands of hits a month!  
I was extremely touched, especially when I read the kind reviews left by my readers. And I also felt embarrassed and guilty for abandoning this story.  
Please understand that it wasn't my intention to disappoint you guys...life just got to me. It gave me a beating and I stayed down for longer than I thought I would. And now that I'm finally pulling myself up again...it's like I'm a different person.

It has been six years since I worked on this story. To be honest, I don't think I will be writing any more chapters, and for that I am genuinely sorry.  
A lot of things have happened in six years, and I just don't have it in me to finish this story at this point in my life.  
I haven't even watched Naruto in all this time! So my inspiration has kind of dried up...lol

I feel that I owe it to my readers to post this message.  
If you have the urge to post a review and yell at me...feel free to do so =)

For those of you who just want to know what I would have done with the characters in 500 words or less, scroll down!  
(note that this plot line is not canon...since I don't even know what canon is these days...)

* * *

I

am

a

happy

little

space

that

has

zero

meaning

except

to

not

spoil

the

plot

for

those

who

don't

want

to

read

it

* * *

Sasuke still leaves Konoha (as in the original). Naruko is devastated.

Time skip 6 years!

Naruko works her way up to being a Jounin and is in the same team as Neji.  
She runs into Sasuke on a mission...fight, make out, fight again.  
She continues to run into Sasuke during missions (it's almost like he's finding her on purpose o_O)...fight, make out, fight, grope, fight, sex, fight again.  
Meanwhile Neji finds out, admits that he's in love with her in a state of jealousy, but settles on being her supportive friend and shoulder to cry on.  
Meanwhile Sasuke is planning on taking over the universe.  
Naruko finds out Sasuke's evil plans...they fight fight and huuuuge fight...leaving both half dead.  
Neji finds injured Naruko and brings her back to Konoha. She finds out she's pregnant with Sasuke's baby (yes I know, cliche).

Time skip 5 years!

Naruko is married to Neji. They have two kids. Oldest is a boy (actually Sasuke's kid) and a girl.  
And she's pregnant with a third (always thought underneath the anal exterior Neji is a hot blooded extremely virile young man).  
Sasuke sneaks into Konoha and seeks their happy family and totally rages on the inside.  
War starts. Sasuke has totally gone to the dark side.  
Neji is seriously injured in an ambush. His dying wish was to hear Naruko say she loves him.  
She realizes that although he's always been at her side, supportive and loving, he has always been afraid that she only loved Sasuke.  
She also realizes that Sasuke is her past, but Neji and their children are her present and future.  
She proclaims her love for Neji. Neji totally doesn't die.  
Naruko pops out her third kid, a lil boy.  
Sasuke and his evil army invades Konoha.  
Naruko and Sasuke duel.  
Naruko is out of practice (from the pregnancy) and Sasuke gains the upper hand.  
Sasuke is beating on Naruko and is making all kinds of evil promises about what he'll do to her important people...namely her husband and children.  
In a state of desperation she tells him one of the kids is his, and he is so shocked he misses his shot.  
Seeing how Naruko struggles to get up and fight even in her weakened state, understanding that she is no longer his, how he is the enemy now, and he threw everything away for this victory that now tastes as bland and nasty as cardboard...Sasuke realizes that he could have had it all.  
Everything he has done was for nothing. Reality just doesn't have the same appeal as how he imagined it.  
He laughs at his fate and charges at Naurko for a final blow.  
She sees him coming and does the same.  
At the last minute, Sasuke misses Naruko on purpose, taking her hit on the chest, effectively committing suicide.  
Naruko holds him as he fell, smile on his face, seeing only his face in her eyes in his dying moment. Naruko goes back to Konoha with Sasuke's body. The war is over.  
They live on.


End file.
